Report: Relatives of Executed Uncle of Kim Also Killed in North Korea

PYONGYANG, North Korea, Jan. 27 (UPI) —Recent executions in North Korea under Kim Jong Un targeted not only his uncle but relatives of the man, including children, sources told Yonhap.

Kim’s uncle Jang Song Thaek, 67, who had been called the second most powerful man in the country, was executed in December after being accused of attempting to overthrow the Communist regime.

South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, citing multiple sources Sunday, said since then there have been executions of all direct relatives of Jang, including children and the country’s ambassadors to Cuba and Malaysia.

In his New Year’s address, the North Korean leader said purges, including the execution of his uncle, helped remove “factionalists lurking in the party.”

Jang’s execution was seen as part of Kim’s effort to consolidate his leadership in the isolated country since succeeding his father, Kim Jong Il, who died in 2011. Jang had been married to Kim Jong Il’s sister.

Yonhap, quoting one of its sources, said there had been “extensive executions” of Jang’s relatives “including even children.”